Antenna device and method of controlling the same

ABSTRACT

An antenna device is provided. The antenna device includes contact terminals including a first contact terminal and a second contact terminal, sub-coil antennas each including at least one loop, and a switch configured to selectively connect sub-coil antennas to the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal according to a control signal input through the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Koreanpatent application filed on Jan. 14, 2015 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office and assigned Serial number 10-2015-0006795, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an antenna device and a method ofcontrolling the same.

BACKGROUND

Various functions of electronic devices, such as wireless charging andnear field communication (NFC), may require separate antennas havingdifferent characteristics. For example, the frequency for a resonantwireless charging antenna may be 8 MHz, the frequency for an inductivewireless charging antenna may be 100 KHz to 200 KHz, the frequency foran NFC antenna may be 13.56 MHz, and the frequency for a magnetic securetransmission (MST) antenna may be 70 KHz.

Space is required to mount the coil antenna on the electronic device.Accordingly, there is a difficulty in mounting a coil antenna thatoccupies a predetermined area in the interior of the electronic device.Accordingly, in recent technologies, coil antennas are mounted on theoutside of an electronic device such as a battery or a battery cover andare connected to a circuit of the electronic device via contacts.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

According to the related art, because different coil antennas arerequired for functions of the electronic device, mounting areas arerequired for an electronic device, a battery, or a battery cover onwhich a coil antenna is mounted.

Furthermore, according to the related art, when different coil antennasare mounted on a battery and a battery cover connected to the electronicdevice through contact terminals for the functions of the electronicdevice, separate contact terminals are necessary for the coil antennas.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views illustrating an example of applying a coilantenna according to the related art.

Referring to FIG. 6A, the battery cover on which a near fieldcommunication (NFC) coil antenna and a wireless charging coil antennaare mounted, fourth contact terminals are necessary. In this way, thebattery or the battery cover, on which a plurality of contact terminalsare mounted, may cause problems, such as reducing the mounting space fora printed board assembly (PBA), an aesthetic problem, and a contacterror of a contact terminal, due to the plurality of contact terminals.Furthermore, the electronic device may also undergo the above-mentionedproblems, such as having a reduced mounting space for a PBA, anaesthetic problem, and a contact error of a contact terminal.

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentdisclosure is to provide an antenna device that, when different coilantennas are necessary for functions of an electronic device, canminimize the number of contact terminals for a coil antenna and canminimize a mounting space for the coil antenna, and a method ofcontrolling the same.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an antennadevice is provided. The antenna device includes contact terminalscomprising a first contact terminal and a second contact terminal,sub-coil antennas each including at least one loop, and a switchconfigured to selectively connect sub-coil antennas to the first contactterminal and the second contact terminal according to a control signalinput through the first contact terminal and the second contactterminal.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofcontrolling an antenna of an electronic device is provided. The methodincludes receiving an input for selecting any one of a plurality ofmodules formed in the electronic device, reconfiguring a switch toselectively connect sub-coil antennas to form an antenna loop based onthe selected module, and receiving a signal from the antenna loop.

The antenna device and the method of controlling the same according tothe present disclosure can provide different coil antennas for specificfunctions of an electronic device by minimizing the number of contactterminals for a coil antenna and minimizing a mounting space for thecoil antenna. Accordingly, problems such as a reduced mounting space ofa PBA occurring on a battery or a battery cover due to a plurality ofcontact terminals, an aesthetic problem, and a contact error of acontact terminal can be solved. Furthermore, manufacturing cost can bereduced by reducing a mounting space of a PBA and reducing the number ofturns of sub-coil antennas.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an antenna device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views illustrating accessories of an electronicdevice having an antenna device according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 3A to 3D are views illustrating antenna devices according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an antenna controlling operation of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views illustrating a coil antenna according to therelated art.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functionsand constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

Hereinafter, the terms “include” or “may include refer to the presenceof disclosed functions, operations or elements, and do not restrict theaddition of one or more functions, operations or elements. Further, theterms “include,” “have,” and their conjugates are intended merely todenote a certain feature, numeral, operation, element, component, or acombination thereof, and should not be construed to initially excludethe existence of or a possibility of addition of one or more otherfeatures, numerals, operations, elements, components, or combinationsthereof.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the expression “or” or“at least one of A or/and B” includes any or all of combinations ofwords listed together. For example, the expression “A or B” or “at leastA or/and B” may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

The numeric modifiers such as “first,” “second,” or the like may modifyvarious component elements in the various embodiments but may not limitcorresponding component elements. For example, the above expressions donot limit the sequence, quantity, and/or importance of the elements. Theabove expressions are used merely for the purpose of distinguishing anelement from the other elements. For example, a first user device and asecond user device indicate different user devices although both of themare user devices. For example, a first element may be termed a secondelement, and likewise a second element may also be termed a firstelement without departing from the scope of various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

It should be noted that if it is described that one component element is“coupled” or “connected” to another component element, the firstcomponent element may be directly coupled or connected to the secondcomponent, and a third component element may be “coupled” or “connected”between the first and second component elements. Conversely, when onecomponent element is “directly coupled” or “directly connected” toanother component element, it may be construed that a third componentelement does not exist between the first component element and thesecond component element.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technicalterms and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understoodby a person of ordinary skill in the art to which various embodiments ofthe present disclosure pertain. Such terms as those defined in agenerally used dictionary are to be interpreted to have the meaningsequal to the contextual meanings in the relevant field of art, and arenot to be interpreted to have ideal or excessively formal meaningsunless clearly defined in various embodiments of the present disclosure.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be a device including a communication function. Forexample, the electronic device may include at least one of a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone,an e-book reader, a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a netbook computer, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), aMoving Picture Experts Group phase 1 or phase 2 (MPEG-1 or MPEG-2) audiolayer 3 (MP3) player, a mobile medical device, a camera, a wearabledevice (e.g., a head-mounted device (HMD) such as electronic glasses,electronic clothes, an electronic bracelet, an electronic necklace, anelectronic appcessory, an electronic tattoo, or a smart watch).

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may be a smart home appliance with a communicationfunction. The smart home appliances may include at least one of, forexample, televisions (TVs), digital versatile disc (DVD) players, audioplayers, refrigerators, air conditioners, cleaners, ovens, microwaves,washing machines, air purifiers, set-top boxes, TV boxes (e.g.,HomeSync′ of Samsung, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), game consoles,electronic dictionaries, electronic keys, camcorders, or electronicframes.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may include at least one of various medical appliances(e.g., magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasonic machines), navigationequipment, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, an event datarecorder (EDR), a flight data recorder (FDR), automotive infotainmentdevice, electronic equipment for ships (e.g., ship navigation equipmentand a gyrocompass), avionics, security equipment, a vehicle head unit,an industrial or home robot, an automatic teller machine (ATM) of abanking system, and a point of sales (POS) of a shop.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may include at least one of a part of furniture or abuilding/structure having a communication function, an electronic board,an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, and variousmeasuring instruments (e.g., a water meter, an electric meter, a gasmeter, a radio wave meter, and the like). The electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be acombination of one or more of the aforementioned various devices.Further, the electronic device according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be a flexible device. Further, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure is notlimited to the aforementioned devices.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term “user” mayindicate a person using an electronic device or a device (e.g. anartificial intelligence electronic device) using an electronic device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an antenna device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the antenna device 100 may include contactterminals 110, sub-coil antennas 130, a switch 150, and filters 170.

The contact terminals 110 may include two or more contact terminals, forexample, a first contact terminal 111 and a second contact terminal 113.

The contact terminals 110 may selectively contact the contact terminals(for example, a third contact terminal and a fourth contact terminal) ofan electronic device, respectively.

The total number of the contact terminals 110 may correspond to thetotal number of specific functions (for example, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) communication and/or wireless charging) of theelectronic device that employs sub-coil antennas 130, that is, the totalnumber of antennas that are necessary to execute the specific functions.For example, when the number of the specific functions of the electronicdevice that employs the contact terminals 110 is four, the total numberof the contact terminals 110 may be two, and when the number of thespecific functions of the electronic device that employs sub-coilantennas 130 is five, the total number of the contact terminals 110 maybe three. For example, a maximum of four control signals for controllingthe switch 150 may be transmitted through two contact terminals, andaccordingly, four coil antennas may be formed. Furthermore, for example,eight control signals for controlling the switch 150 may be transmittedthrough three contact terminals, and accordingly, eight coil antennasmay be formed.

Meanwhile, the third contact terminal and the fourth contact terminal ofthe electronic device may be connected to an application processor (AP)of the electronic device. The third contact terminal and the fourthcontact terminal may be connected to a signal transmission terminal fromwhich a communication (e.g., a signal for communication in a magneticinduction scheme) is received and a signal reception terminal by which asignal for communication in a magnetic induction scheme is received,respectively, according to an operation of a module for performingspecific functions of the electronic device that employs at least one ofthe sub-coil antennas 130 of the electronic device. The signaltransmission terminal and the signal reception terminal may includeconfigurations such as switches that connect the signal transmissionterminal and the signal reception terminal to any one module, under thecontrol of an AP.

The sub-coil antennas 130 may include, for example, a first sub-coilantenna 131, a second sub-coil antenna 133, and/or a third sub-coilantenna 135.

The total number of the sub-coil antennas 130 may correspond to thetotal number of the specific functions that employ the sub-coil antennas130 (for example, NFC communication and/or wireless charging). Forexample, when the number of the specific functions of the electronicdevice that employs the sub-coil antennas 130 is two, the number of thesub-coil antennas 130 may be two, and when the number of the specificfunctions of the electronic device that employs the sub-coil antennas130 is three, the number of the sub-coil antennas 130 may be three.

The number of the sub-coil antennas 130 may correspond to the number ofthe contact terminals 110, and the maximum number of the sub-coilantennas 130 may correspond to the contact terminals. For example, whenthe number of the contact terminals 110 is two, the sub-coil antennas130 may include four sub-coil antennas.

The sub-coil antennas 130 may be arranged to be spaced apart from eachother in a radial direction. For example, the second sub-coil antenna133 of the sub-coil antennas 130 including the first sub-coil antenna131 and the second sub-coil antenna 133 may be arranged inside the firstsub-coil antenna 131. Furthermore, for example, among the sub-coilantennas 130 including a first sub-coil antenna 131, a second sub-coilantenna 133, and a third sub-coil antenna 135, the second sub-coilantenna 133 may be arranged inside the first sub-coil antenna 131 andthe third sub-coil antenna 135 may be arranged inside the secondsub-coil antenna 133.

Each of the sub-coil antennas 130 may have at least one loop.Furthermore, the lengths, intervals, number (the number of turns) of theloops for the sub-coil antennas 130, and the intervals between the loopsmay be determined in consideration of the frequencies of the specificfunctions of the electronic device that employs the sub-coil antennas130.

The switch 150 is connected to the first contact terminal 111 and thesecond contact terminal 113, and at least one of the sub-coil antennas130 may be connected to the first contact terminal and the secondcontact terminal according to control signals that are input through thefirst contact terminal and the second contact terminal.

For example, the switch 150 may be configured such that the sub-coilantennas 130 are connected in series to each other according to thecontrol signals input through the first contact terminal 111 and thesecond contact terminal 113. Accordingly, two ends of the sub-coilantennas 130 connected in series may be connected to the first contactterminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113, respectively. Forexample, when the sub-coil antennas 130 are arranged to be spaced apartfrom each other in a radial direction, the switch 150 connects thesub-coil antennas 130 in series according to a control signal, so thattwo ends of any one sub-coil antenna may be connected to the firstcontact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113, respectively.

For example, the switch 150 may be configured such that the firstsub-coil antenna 131 and the second sub-coil antenna 133 are connectedin series to each other according to the control signals input throughthe first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113.Accordingly, two ends of the first sub-coil antenna 131 and the secondsub-coil antenna 133 connected in series to each other may be connectedto the first contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113,respectively. For example, when the sub-coil antennas 130 are arrangedto be spaced apart from each other in a radial direction such that thesecond sub-coil antenna 133 is arranged inside the first sub-coilantenna 131, the first sub-coil antenna 131 and the second sub-coilantenna 133 are connected in series by the switch 150 according to acontrol signal input from the electronic device, so that the two ends ofthe first sub-coil antenna 131 or the two ends of the second sub-coilantenna 133 may be connected to the first contact terminal 111 and thesecond contact terminal 113.

For example, the switch 150 may be configured such that the firstsub-coil antenna 131, the second sub-coil antenna 133, and the thirdsub-coil antenna 135 of the sub-coil antennas 130 are connected inseries to each other according to the control signals input through thefirst contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113.Accordingly, two ends of the first sub-coil antenna 131, the secondsub-coil antenna 133, and the third sub-coil antenna 135 connected inseries to each other may be connected to the first contact terminal 111and the second contact terminal 113, respectively. For example, when thesub-coil antennas 130 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other ina radial direction such that the second sub-coil antenna 133 is arrangedinside the first sub-coil antenna 131 and the third sub-coil antenna 135is arranged inside the second sub-coil antenna 133, the first sub-coilantenna 131, the second sub-coil antenna 133, and the third sub-coilantenna 135 are connected in series to each other by the switch 150, sothat the two ends of the first sub-coil antenna 131, the two ends of thesecond sub-coil antenna 133, or the two ends of the third sub-coilantenna 135 may be connected to the first contact terminal 111 and thesecond contact terminal 113, respectively.

The filters 170 may include a first filter 171 and a second filter 173.The first filter 171 and the second filter 173 may be connected to thefirst contact terminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113 to pass adirect current (DC) signal. The first filter 171 is connected to thefirst contact terminal 111, the second filter 173 is connected to thesecond contact terminal 113, and the first filter 171 and the secondfilter 173 are connected to the switch 150, so that a control signal(e.g., the DC signal) may be input to the switch. The first filter 171and the second filter 173 may be resistor inductor capacitor (RLC)filters or inductor capacitor (LC) filters.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, any one of thesub-coil antennas may be connected in series to the first contactterminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113 by not connecting theplurality of sub-coil antennas 130 or the sub-coil antennas connected inseries to each other may be connected in series to the first contactterminal 111 and the second contact terminal 113 by connecting two ormore sub-coil antennas of the plurality of sub-coil antennas 130,according to control signals input through the first filter 171 and thesecond filter 173.

For example, the first contact terminal 111 is connected to a first endof the first sub-coil antenna 131, and the switch may include a firstcontrol terminal and a second control terminal connected to the firstfilter 171 and the second filter 173. An input terminal for a magneticinduction scheme is input through the second contact terminal 113. Afirst output terminal connected to a second end of the first sub-coilantenna 131, and output terminals are connected to two ends of sub-coilantennas other than the first sub-coil antennas, respectively. Forexample, the output terminals may include a second output terminal and athird output terminal connected to the two ends of the second sub-coilantenna 133, respectively, and a fourth output terminal and a fifthoutput terminal connected to the two ends of the third sub-coil antenna135, respectively.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views illustrating accessories of an electronicdevice having an antenna device according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the antenna device may be formed in abattery cover or a battery. For example, sub-coil antennas may be formedin a battery cover as illustrated in FIG. 2A, and contact terminals maybe formed on the outside of the battery cover to contact with contactterminals of an electronic device. The switch may be formed in thebattery cover. The contact terminals formed in the battery cover mayhave the form of pads, and the contact terminals of the electronicdevice may have the form of pins. Alternatively, the contact terminalsformed in the battery cover may have the form of pins, and the contactterminals of the electronic device may have the form of pads.

Further, sub-coil antennas may be formed in a battery as illustrated inFIG. 2B, and contact terminals may be formed on the outside of thebattery to contact with contact terminals of an electronic device.Furthermore, the switch may be formed in the battery. The contactterminals formed in the battery may have the form of pads, and thecontact terminals of the electronic device may have the form of pins.Alternatively, the contact terminals formed in the battery may have theform of pads, and the contact terminals of the electronic device mayhave the form of pins.

Meanwhile, the battery cover may be attached to and detached from a rearsurface of the electronic device, and may cover at least a portion ofthe rear surface of the electronic device and the battery. Further, thebattery cover may cover a portion of the rear surface of the electronicdevice, the battery, at least a portion of one side surface of theelectronic device, or at least a portion of a front surface of theelectronic device.

The battery is provided on the rear surface of the electronic device andsupplies electric power to the electronic device, and may be attached toand detached from the rear surface of the electronic device by the user.The battery may be embedded in the electronic device so as not to beattached or detached by the user.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are views illustrating antenna devices according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3D, using a switch 350 (for example, the switch150), for example, an antenna device 300 (for example, the electronicdevice 100) that supports a first scheme that requires a two-turn coilantenna, a second scheme that requires a four-turn coil antenna, and athird scheme that requires a six-turn coil antenna may be implementedwith three two-turn sub-coil antennas 330 (for example, the sub-coilantennas 130) and two contact terminals 310 (for example, the contactterminals 110). Accordingly, a large mounting area is required accordingto the related art because a two-turn sub-coil antenna, a four-turnsub-coil antenna, a six-turn sub-coil antenna, and a total of sixcontact terminals are required to implement the antenna device forsupporting all the three schemes, but the present disclosure can solvethis problem. For example, as compared with the related art, the presentdisclosure can minimize the number of contact terminals, and reducemanufacturing costs of the sub-coil antennas.

The antenna device 300 may include contact terminals 310, sub-coilantennas 330, a switch 350, and filters 370 (for example, the filters170).

The contact terminals 310 may include a first contact terminal 311 (forexample, the first contact terminal 111) and a second contact terminal313 (for example, the second contact terminal 113).

The sub-coil antennas 330 may include a first sub-coil antenna 331 (forexample, the first sub-coil antenna 131), a second sub-coil antenna 333(for example, the second sub-coil antenna 133, and a third sub-coilantenna 335 (for example, the third sub-coil antenna 135). The firstsub-coil antenna 331, the second sub-coil antenna 333, and the thirdsub-coil antenna 335 may be implemented by two-turn coils.

The switch 350 may include a first control terminal 351, a secondcontrol terminal 352, an input terminal 353, a first output terminal354, a second output terminal 355, a third output terminal 356, a fourthoutput terminal 357, and a fifth output terminal 358.

The filters 370 may include a first filter 371 (for example, the firstfilter 171) and a second filter (for example, the second filter 173)that are connected to the first contact terminal 311 and the secondcontact terminal 313, respectively, to pass a DC signal. The firstfilter 371 and the second filter 373 may be implemented by LC filters.

The first contact terminal 311 and the second contact terminal 313 maybe connected to the electronic device 30 to receive a control signal forcontrolling switching of the switch 350 from an AP 31. The controlsignal may be a control signal corresponding to any one module selectedfrom modules 32, for example, an NFC module 33 and a wireless chargingmodule 34. The first contact terminal 311 and the second contactterminal 313 may receive the control signal through the first filter 38and the second filter 39.

The first contact terminal 311 and the second contact terminal 313 maybe connected to modules 32 such that a signal for communication in amagnetic induction scheme may be input from any one module selected fromthe modules 32 through the second contact terminal 313. The signal forcommunication in a magnetic induction scheme may be input to the any onemodule through the first contact terminal 311 via at least one sub-coilantenna connected to the first contact terminal 311 and the secondcontact terminal 313 according to a switching operation of the switch350. The electronic device may include a switch, and may connect to anyone module of the modules 32.

The first contact terminal 311 may be connected to a first controlterminal 351 of the switch 350 and a first end 3311 of the firstsub-coil antenna 331 and the second contact terminal 313 may beconnected to a second control terminal 352 of the switch 350 and aninput terminal 353 of the switch 350. The first filter 371 may be formedbetween the first contact terminal 311 and the first control terminal351, and the second filter 371 may be formed between the second contactterminal 313 and the second control terminal 352.

A first output terminal 354 of the switch 350 may be connected to asecond end 3313 of the first sub-coil antenna 354.

A second output terminal 355 and a third output terminal 356 of theswitch 350 may be connected to a first end 3331 and a second end 3333 ofthe second sub-coil antenna 333, respectively.

A fourth output terminal 357 and a fifth output terminal 358 of theswitch 350 may be connected to a first end 3351 and a second end 3353 ofthe third sub-coil antenna 335, respectively.

Meanwhile, control signals (a control signal of a first control terminal351 and a control signal of a second control terminal 352) that areinput to a first control terminal 351 and a second control terminal 352of the switch 350 may be (0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 0), or (1, 1), and controlsignals corresponding to the modules 32 formed in the electronic device30 may be designated in advance. For example, a control signalcorresponding to a first module (for example, the NFC module 33) of themodules 32 formed in the electronic device 30 may be (0, 0), and thefirst module may require a coil antenna of six turns in which all of thesub-coil antennas 330 illustrated in FIG. 3A are connected in series toeach other. For example, a control signal corresponding to a secondmodule (for example, the wireless charging module 34) of the modules 32may be (0, 1), and the second module may require a coil antenna of fourturns in which some of the sub-coil antennas 330 illustrated in FIG. 3Aare connected in series to each other. For example, a control signalcorresponding to a third module of the modules 32 may be (1, 0), and thethird module may require a coil antenna of two turns along the sub-coilantennas 330 illustrated in FIG. 3A.

Referring to FIG. 3B, when a control signal input through the firstcontact terminal 311 and the second contact terminal 313 is a firstcontrol signal, the switch 350 may connect the input terminal 353 andthe first output terminal 354. For example, the first end 3311 of thefirst sub-coil antenna 331 may be connected to the first contactterminal 311, and the second end 3313 of the first sub-coil antenna 331may be connected to the second contact terminal 313. According to theoperation of the switch 350, the first sub-coil antenna 331 is connectedin series to the first contact terminal 311 and the second contactterminal 313 so that the antenna device 300 may be operated as a coilantenna having two turns (for example, in a first scheme).

Referring to FIG. 3C, when a control signal input through the firstcontact terminal 311 and the second contact terminal 313 is a secondcontrol signal, the switch 350 may connect the input terminal 353 andthe first output terminal 354 and connect the first output terminal 354and the third output terminal 356. For example, the first end 3331 ofthe second sub-coil antenna 333 may be connected to the second contactterminal 313, the second end 3333 of the second sub-coil antenna 333 maybe connected to the second end 3313 of the first sub-coil antenna 331,and the first end 3311 of the first sub-coil antenna 331 may beconnected to the first contact terminal 311. According to the operationof the switch 350, the first sub-coil antenna 331 and the secondsub-coil antenna 333 connected in series to each other are connected inseries to the first contact terminal 311 and the second contact terminal313 so that the antenna device 300 may be operated as a coil antennahaving four turns (for example, in a second scheme).

Referring to FIG. 3D, when a control signal input through the firstcontact terminal 311 and the second contact terminal 313 is a thirdcontrol signal, the switch 350 may connect the input terminal 353 andthe fourth output terminal 357, connect the second output terminal 355and the fifth output terminal 358, and connect the first output terminal354 and the third output terminal 356. For example, the first end 3351of the third sub-coil antenna 333 may be connected to the second contactterminal 313, the second end 3353 of the third sub-coil antenna 335 maybe connected to the first end 3331 of the second sub-coil antenna 333,the second end 3333 of the second sub-coil antenna 333 may be connectedto the second end 3313 of the first sub-coil antenna 331, and the firstend 3311 of the first sub-coil antenna 331 may be connected to the firstcontact terminal 311. According to the operation of the switch 350, thefirst sub-coil antenna 331 and the second sub-coil antenna 333 connectedin series to each other are connected in series to the first contactterminal 311 and the second contact terminal 313 so that the antennadevice 300 may be operated as a coil antenna having six turns (forexample, in a third scheme).

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an antenna controlling operation of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic device may receive an input forselecting any one of the modules formed in the interior of theelectronic device. Further, the antenna may include: contact terminalsincluding a first contact terminal and a second contact terminal;sub-coil antennas; and a switch that is connected to the first contactterminal and the second contact terminal to connect at least one of thesub-coil antennas to the first contact terminal and the second contactterminal according to a control signal input through the first contactterminal and the second contact terminal, each of the sub-coil antennashaving at least one loop, wherein at least one of the sub-coil antennasare connected to the first contact terminal and the second contactterminal according to the input. A module may be connected to theantenna through the first contact terminal and the second contactterminal.

In operation 4100, the AP 41 of the electronic device may identify aninput for selecting any one of the modules 42 formed in the interior ofthe electronic device. The input may be an input for executing any onemodule of the modules 42, for example, according to a manipulation ofthe user. The input may be, for example, reception of a signal forcommunication in a magnetic induction scheme corresponding to any onemodule that may automatically execute any one module of the modules.

In operation 4200, the AP 41 may input a control signal (for example, aDC signal) corresponding to the selected module to an antenna 400.

In operation 4300, any one module of which an input is identifiedaccording to operation 4100, among the modules 42, may input a signalfor communication in a magnetic induction scheme to the antenna 400.

In operation 4400, according to the control signal, at least one of thesub-coil antennas of the antenna 400 may be connected in series to thefirst contact terminal and the second contact terminal, and accordingly,the input signal for communication in a magnetic induction scheme may beoutput to any one module of the modules 42 through the at least onesub-coil antenna.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, an electronic device 501 may include, for example,all or some of the electronic device 30 illustrated in FIG. 3. Theelectronic device 501 may include at least one AP 510 (for example, theAP 31), a communication module 520, a subscriber identification module(SIM) card 524, a memory 530, a sensor module 540, an input device 550,a display 560, an interface 570, an audio module 580, a camera module591, a power management module 595, a battery 596, an indicator 597, ora motor 598.

The AP 510 may control a hardware or software components connectedthereto by driving an operating system or an application program andperform a variety of data processing and calculations. The AP 510 may beimplemented as, for example, a system on chip (SoC). According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the AP 510 may further include agraphics processing unit (GPU) and/or an image signal processor. The AP510 may include at least some of the components (for example, a cellularmodule 521) illustrated in FIG. 5. The AP 510 may load instructions ordata, received from at least one other component (for example, anon-volatile memory), in a volatile memory to process the loadedinstructions or data, and may store various types of data in anon-volatile memory.

The communication module 520 may include, for example, a cellular module521, a Wi-Fi module 523, a Bluetooth (BT) module 525, a GPS module 527,an NFC module 528 (for example, the NFC module 33), and a radiofrequency (RF) module 529.

The cellular module 521 may provide a voice call, video call, textmessage services, or Internet services through, for example, acommunication network. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the cellular module 521 may distinguish between andauthenticate electronic devices 501 within a communication network usinga SIM (for example, the SIM card 524). According to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the cellular module 521 may perform at least some ofthe functions which may be provided by the AP 510. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the cellular module 521 mayinclude a communication processor (CP).

The Wi-Fi module 523, the BT module 525, the GPS module 527, and the NFCmodule 528 may include, for example, a processor for processing datatransmitted/received through the corresponding module. According to anyembodiment of the present disclosure, at least some (two or more) of thecellular module 521, the Wi-Fi module 523, the BT module 525, the GPSmodule 527, and the NFC module 528 may be included in one integratedchip (IC) or IC package.

The RF module 529 may transmit/receive, for example, a communicationsignal (for example, an RF signal). The RF module 529 may include, forexample, a transceiver, a power amplifier module (PAM), a frequencyfilter, a low noise amplifier (LNA) or an antenna. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the cellularmodule 521, the Wi-Fi module 523, the BT module 525, the GPS module 527,and the NFC module 528 may transmit/receive an RF signal through aseparate RF module.

The SIM card 524 may include, for example, a card including a SIM and/oran embedded SIM, and may further include unique identificationinformation (for example, an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID))or subscriber information (for example, international mobile subscriberidentity (IMSI)).

The memory 530 may include, for example, an internal memory 532 or anexternal memory 534. The internal memory 532 may include at least oneof, for example, a volatile memory (for example, a dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), and thelike) and a non-volatile memory (for example, a one time programmableread only memory (OTPROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable andprogrammable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM(EEPROM), a flash memory (for example, a NAND flash memory or a NORflash memory), a hard driver, or a solid state drive (SSD).

The external memory 534 may further include a flash drive, for example,a compact flash (CF), a secure digital (SD), a micro-SD, a mini-SD, anextreme digital (xD), a memory stick, or the like. The external memory534 may be functionally and/or physically connected to the electronicdevice 501 through various interfaces.

The sensor module 540 may measure, for example, a physical quantity ordetect an operation state of the electronic device 501, and may convertthe measured or detected information to an electrical signal. The sensormodule 540 may include at least one of, for example, a gesture sensor540A, a gyro sensor 540B, an atmospheric pressure sensor 540C, amagnetic sensor 540D, an acceleration sensor 540E, a grip sensor 540F, aproximity sensor 540G, a color sensor 540H (for example, ared/green/blue (RGB) sensor), a biometric sensor 540I, atemperature/humidity sensor 540J, an illumination sensor 540K, and anultraviolet (UV) sensor 540M. Additionally or alternatively, the sensormodule 540 may include an E-nose sensor, an electromyography (EMG)sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an electrocardiogram (ECG)sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, an iris sensor, and/or a fingerprintsensor. The sensor module 540 may further include a control circuit forcontrolling at least one sensor included therein. In any embodiment ofthe present disclosure, the electronic device 501 may further include aprocessor configured to control the sensor module 540 as a part of orseparately from the AP 510, and may control the sensor module 540 whilethe AP 510 is in a sleep state.

The input device 550 may include, for example, a touch panel 552, a(digital) pen sensor 554, a key 556, or an ultrasonic input device 558.The touch panel 552 may use at least one of, for example, a capacitivetype, a resistive type, an infrared type, and an ultrasonic type. Thetouch panel 552 may further include a control circuit. The touch panel552 may further include a tactile layer, and provide a tactile reactionto a user.

The (digital) pen sensor 554 may include, for example, a recognitionsheet which is a part of the touch panel or a separate recognitionsheet. The key 556 may include, for example, a physical button, anoptical key or a keypad. The ultrasonic input unit 558 may input datathrough an input means that generates an ultrasonic signal, and theelectronic device 501 may identify data by detecting a sound wave with amicrophone (for example, a microphone 588).

The display 560 may include a panel 562, a hologram device 564, or aprojector 566. The panel 562 may be embodied to be, for example,flexible, transparent, or wearable. The panel 562 may also be configuredto be integrated with the touch panel 552 as a single module. Thehologram device 564 may show a stereoscopic image in the air by usinginterference of light. The projector 566 may project light onto a screento display an image. For example, the screen may be located inside oroutside the electronic device 501. According to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the display 560 may further include a controlcircuit for controlling the panel 562, the hologram device 564, or theprojector 566.

The interface 570 may include, for example, a high-definition multimediainterface (HDMI) 572, a universal serial bus (USB) 574, an opticalinterface 576, or a D-subminiature (D-sub) 578. Additionally oralternatively, the interface 570 may include, for example, a mobile HDlink (MHL) interface, an SD card/multi-media card (MMC) interface, or aninfrared data association (IrDA) standard interface.

The audio module 580 may bilaterally convert, for example, a sound andan electrical signal. The audio module 580 may process sound informationinput or output through, for example, a speaker 582, a receiver 584,earphones 586, the microphone 588, or the like.

The camera module 591 is a device which may photograph a still image anda dynamic image. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure,the camera module 591 may include one or more image sensors (forexample, a front sensor or a back sensor), a lens, an image signalprocessor (ISP) or a flash (for example, light-emitting diode (LED) orxenon lamp).

The power management module 595 may manage, for example, power of theelectronic device 501. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the power management module 595 may include a powermanagement IC (PMIC), a charger IC, or a battery or fuel gauge. The PMICmay have a wired and/or wireless charging scheme. Examples of thewireless charging method may include, for example, a magnetic resonancemethod, a magnetic induction method, an electromagnetic method, and thelike. Additional circuits (e.g., a coil loop, a resonance circuit, arectifier, etc.) for wireless charging may be further included. The PMICmay include, for example, a wireless charging module. The battery gaugemay measure, for example, the remaining amount of battery, a chargingvoltage and current, or temperature. The battery 596 may include, forexample, a rechargeable battery and/or a solar battery.

The indicator 597 may indicate a particular status of the electronicdevice 501 or a part thereof (for example, the AP 510), for example, abooting status, a message status, a charging status, or the like. Themotor 598 may convert an electrical signal into mechanical vibrations,and may generate a vibration or haptic effect. Although not illustrated,the electronic device 501 may include a processing device (for example,a GPU) for supporting mobile TV. The processing device for supportingmobile TV may process media data according to a standard of digitalmultimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting (DVB), mediaflow or the like.

Each of the components of the electronic device according to the presentdisclosure may be implemented by one or more components and the name ofthe corresponding component may vary depending on a type of theelectronic device. In various embodiments, the electronic device mayinclude at least one of the above-described elements. Some of theabove-described elements may be omitted from the electronic device, orthe electronic device may further include additional elements. Further,some of the components of the electronic device according to the variousembodiments of the present disclosure may be combined to form a singleentity, and thus, may equivalently execute functions of thecorresponding elements prior to the combination.

The term “module” as used herein may, for example, mean a unit includingone of hardware, software, and firmware or a combination of two or moreof them. The “module” may be interchangeably used with, for example, theterm “unit”, “logic”, “logical block”, “component”, or “circuit”. The“module” may be a minimum unit of an integrated component element or apart thereof. The “module” may be a minimum unit for performing one ormore functions or a part thereof. The “module” may be mechanically orelectronically implemented. For example, the “module” according to thepresent disclosure may include at least one of an application-specificIC (ASIC) chip, a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and aprogrammable-logic device for performing operations which has been knownor are to be developed hereinafter.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, at leastsome of the devices (for example, modules or functions thereof) or themethod (for example, operations) according to the present disclosure maybe implemented by a command stored in a computer-readable storage mediumin a programming module form. The instruction, when executed by aprocessor (e.g., the AP 510), may cause the one or more processors toexecute the function corresponding to the instruction. Thecomputer-readable storage medium may be, for example, the memory 530.

The computer readable recording medium may include a hard disk, a floppydisk, magnetic media (e.g., a magnetic tape), optical media (e.g., acompact disc ROM (CD-ROM) and a DVD), magneto-optical media (e.g., afloptical disk), a hardware device (e.g., a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory),and the like. In addition, the program instructions may include highclass language codes, which can be executed in a computer by using aninterpreter, as well as machine codes made by a compiler. Theaforementioned hardware device may be configured to operate as one ormore software modules in order to perform the operation of the presentdisclosure, and vice versa.

The programming module according to the present disclosure may includeone or more of the aforementioned components or may further includeother additional components, or some of the aforementioned componentsmay be omitted. Operations executed by a module, a programming module,or other component elements according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure may be executed sequentially, in parallel,repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner. Further, some operations may beexecuted according to another order or may be omitted, or otheroperations may be added.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An antenna device comprising: contact terminals comprising a first contact terminal and a second contact terminal; sub-coil antennas each including at least one loop; and a switch configured to selectively connect at least one of the sub-coil antennas to the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal according to a control signal input through the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal.
 2. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the sub-coil antennas are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a radial direction.
 3. The antenna device of claim 2, wherein the switch is further configured to connect the sub-coil antennas in series according to the control signal.
 4. The antenna device of claim 2, wherein the sub-coil antennas comprises: a first sub-coil antenna, and a second sub-coil antenna arranged inside the first sub-coil antenna, wherein the switch is configured to connect the first sub-coil antenna and the second sub-coil antenna in series according to the control signal.
 5. The antenna device of claim 2, wherein the sub-coil antennas comprises: a first sub-coil antenna, a second sub-coil antenna arranged inside the first sub-coil antenna, and a third sub-coil antenna arranged inside the second sub-coil antenna, and wherein the switch is further configured to connect the first sub-coil antenna, the second sub-coil antenna, the third sub-coil antenna in series according to the control signal.
 6. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the sub-coil antennas are formed in the battery.
 7. The antenna device of claim 1, wherein the sub-coil antennas are formed in the battery cover.
 8. The antenna device of claim 1, further comprising: a first filter connected to the first contact terminal and a second filter connected to the second contact terminal to pass a signal, wherein the switch is further configured such that any one of the sub-coil antennas is connected in series to the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal according to control signals input through the first filter and the second filter.
 9. The antenna device of claim 8, wherein the first contact terminal is connected to a first end of the first sub-coil antenna of the sub-coil antennas, and wherein the switch further comprises: a first control terminal and a second control terminal connected to the first filter and the second filter, an input terminal to which a signal for communication in a magnetic induction scheme through the second contact terminal is input, a first output terminal connected to a second end of the first sub-coil antenna, and output terminals connected to two ends of sub-coil antenna other than the first sub-coil antenna, respectively.
 10. The antenna device of claim 9, wherein each of the sub-coil antennas further comprises a second sub-coil antenna and a third sub-coil antenna, and wherein the output terminals comprise: a second output terminal and a third output terminal connected to two ends of the second sub-coil antenna, respectively, and a fourth output terminal and a fifth output terminal connected to two ends of the third sub-coil antenna, respectively
 11. The antenna device of claim 10, wherein when the control signal is a first control signal, the switch is further configured to connect the input terminal and the first output terminal.
 12. The antenna device of claim 11, wherein when the control signal is a second control signal, the switch is further configured to connect the input terminal and the second output terminal and connects the first output terminal and the third output terminal.
 13. The antenna device of claim 12, wherein when the control signal is a third control signal, the switch is further configured to: connect the input terminal and the fourth output terminal, connect the second output terminal and the fifth output terminal, and connect the first output terminal and the third output terminal.
 14. A method of controlling an antenna device of an electronic device, the method comprising: receiving an input for selecting a module formed in the electronic device; reconfiguring a switch to selectively connect sub-coil antennas to form an antenna loop based on the selected module; and receiving a signal from the antenna loop.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the selected module is connected to the antenna through the first contact terminal and the second contact terminal of the switch. 